Re: Bringing a //c to life

[ddkilzer@iastate.edu (David D Kilzer)]

claudiak@well.sf.ca.us (Claudia Kulesh) writes:

>I've got my hands on an Apple //c which hasn't been used in years.  When 
>it was used, it was by my younger brothers who mostly used it to play 
>games.  
>
>It looks great from the outside, but it won't start up.  When i turn it 
>on, there is no life apparent from the disk drive.  The drive light 
>doesn't light up and there is no sound from the drive.

This may sound like a really stupid question (ignore it if it is--I'm
just trying to cover all the bases), but did you plug in the power brick
to the //c?  You never mentioned having it, and I'd normally take it for
granted, but since you didn't mention it and since you're having trouble,
I thought I'd ask.

>What's my best option?

Try to find someone else with a //c and try YOUR power brick with THEIR
system.  (Be careful when trying YOUR //c with THEIR power brick--there
is a slight chance that your //c could blow a fuse in the other person's
power brick.)

Try adjusting the volume on the side to see if the computer at least
beeps when you turn it on.  (Does *NOTHING* appear to get power?  No
power light?  No drive light?)

If you're feeling adventureous, try opening the //c and cleaning out the
computer with some compressed air (you can get this at Target, Venture,
Wal-Mart or other department store).  Don't blow on the components
yourself--you'll be blowing moisture onto the components, no matter how
dry you think your mouth is.  Do this outside or in a garage--could be
very dusty!  While you have the //c open, make sure power, disk drive
and keyboard connections are secure.  Push down gently, but firmly on
chips on the logic board to make sure they're seated.  Then put
everything back (sans screws in the bottom) and try powering it up.  If
you're queasy about opening the //c by yourself, get your local computer
guru to help.

>I'd like to get it up and running, perhaps to use 
>it at least as a terminal for online work.  Is this a possibility?  

Yes.  I'd recommend ProTerm 3.1.  You'll probably want to get a 3.5"
disk.  (See the comp.sys.apple2 FAQ--Frequently Asked Questions--document
for more information:  ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/comp.sys.apple2/.)

>Should I look for an external drive?

Yes, it would make life easier (esp. if you get a 3.5" drive--but only
certain //c's can use them, and then only a particular kind of 3.5"
drive--see the csa2 FAQ, again, for more info).  Any 5.25" drive will
work as a second drive for the //c--not just the External Disk Drive //c.

>Should I try to get the internal 
>drive working?  Look for a replacement internal drive (yikes!)?

If there is a power problem, it's probably not the drive.  Disk drives
are fairly sturdy.  If it's been sitting for a while, you might want to
get a 5.25" disk cleaner, though.

>While 
>I'm asking all these questions -- I've got an external 3-1/2" drive attached 
>to a Mac512k for my neice.  Would that work on this computer?

Not unless it's a UniDisk 3.5" drive from Apple.  (In other words: I
doubt it.) Again, see the csa2 FAQ.

>From 
>reading a few posts, I gather that there are some compatibilities between 
>the Apple //'s and early macs.

Yup!

Dave
-- 
David D. Kilzer              \ ``My goal is to carry the Macintosh torch and
ddkilzer@iastate.edu         /   save computer users from the Gates of Hell.''
Computer Engineer 4          \                 Guy Kawasaki
Iowa State University, Ames  /         Newly-appointed Apple Fellow